Top 10 Tallest Bridges in the World

Bridge heights can be judged based on two factors: their structural height and their deck height. The structural height refers to the highest vertical distance from the lowest visible point to the upper-most part. The deck height on the other hand, is defined by the distance between the road of the bridge and the ground or water.

Although a certain bridge in France holds the number one spot, most of the inclusions are from China. Some of the Bridges that just missed out on this list include the E’dong Bridge in China, Mezcala Bridge in Mexico and Incheon Bridge in South Korea.

Below you will find the top 10 tallest bridges in the world by their structural height. Can you guess which one takes the #1 spot?

10. Jiujiang Fuyin Expressway Bridge

The first on the list from China, this bridge is still under construction but is expected to be taller than the E’dong Bridge that previously occupied the number 10 spot. Construction is supposed to finish sometime in late 2013.

9. Zhongxian Huyu Expressway Bridge

A cable-stayed bridge measuring 247.5 meters in height and 460 meters in length, the Zhongxian Huyu Expressway Bridge spans the Yangtze River in China, opening in 2010.

8. Great Belt East Bridge

Located in Denmark, this suspension bridge measures 254 meters high and 1624 meters long; opening in 1998 and costing 21.4 billion Danish krone to complete.

The bridge connects Funen and Zealand, dramatically reducing the time of travel between the two from one hour to less than 10 minutes.

7. Jingyue Bridge

Measuring 265 meters high and 816 meters long, the Jingyue Bridge in China opened in 2010. Currently a toll-way, this is cable-styled bridge passes over the Yangtze River.

6. Yi Sun Sin Bridge

Located in South Korea, this suspension bridge (named after a Korean Admiral) opened to the public in 2012. With a height of 270 meters with a length of 1,545, the bridge took roughly 2 years to complete.

5. Stonecutters Bridge

Located in Hong Kong, the Stonecutters Bridge has a height of 298 meters and a span of 1018 meters. Opened in 2009, this cable stayed bridge took 5 years to complete; spanning the Rambler Channel and was incredibly difficult to build. In fact, the bridge was featured on the TV show ‘Extreme Engineering’ on the Discovery Channel because of the complexity of construction.

The intricacy in creating the bridge might also be the reason why it greatly exceeded the planned budget, costing roughly 2.76 billion Hong Kong dollars (356 million US dollars).

It connects several islands; including Cheung Sha Wan, Tsing Yi Island, Sha Tin, Lantau Island and Ma Wan.

4. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan has a height of 298.3 meters and a total length of 1991. This is a suspension type bridge, meaning that the deck is hung underneath suspension cables.

The bridge itself was started in 1988 and finally completed in 1998, costing approximately 500 billion yen. It is currently used by 23,000 vehicles every day and is expected to be paid for after 30 years of use by the use of tolls.

Prior to the Akashi Kaikyo, residents had to use ferries, which was not only a long journey but also dangerous due to weather conditions.

3. Sutong Bridge

Located in China, the Sutong Bridge has a height of 306 meters and length of 1088 meters. Opened in 2008, it spans the Yangtze River and joins Nantong with Changshu; shortening the old travel time from four hours to just one.

This connection has made it possible for Nantong to improve economically and was one a great step forward to helping the poorer Chinese cities to develop. The Sutong Bridge was built for roughly 1.7 billion US dollars and took about 5 years to finish.

2. Russky Bridge

Located in Russia and with a height of 320.9 meters tall and spanning meters, the Russky Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that opened in the 2012. The bridge was built for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, connecting the mainland with Russky Island, where most of the summit took place.

1. Millau Viaduct

With a height of 343 meters and a bridge span of 342 meters, the Millau Viaduct in France is considered as the tallest in the world; opening for use in 2004. The bridge is a another cable-stayed bridge, which means that it is supported by multiple towers.

Despite its incredible size, the Millau Viaduct was constructed in just 3 years, covering the entire span of the Tarn River. It cost about 394 million Euros and was created to prevent heavy traffic from Paris to Spain.

So how many of these magnificent industrial achievements have you seen for yourself? Are there any other bridges that you recommend checking out? Let us know in the comments below!